


How Was Your Night?

by witchofpeachan



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Getting Together, I listened to 1930's music for 12 hours, M/M, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 14:38:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchofpeachan/pseuds/witchofpeachan
Summary: Tony Stark thought he needed some time alone, out of the tower, maybe at a bar. Steve Rogers didn't think that was a good idea.





	How Was Your Night?

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic fill for Twentylifetimes at tumblr!! Please enjoy, these were really fun to fill! This prompt was from 75 Date Ideas, this is number 48, Karaoke!!

When Steve Rogers finally found Tony Stark, he actually thought Tony was a little more sober than he was. Tony thought he needed to be a little more drunk. 

He was by himself (Tragically, in Stark’s own opinion) when the Captain moved through the crowd of people towards him and leaned his spine against the bar counter. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans, “Mister Stark.” He announced his presence to the billionaire who looked up from his drink to turn and stare for several moments as the Captain glanced at him with an eyebrow raised

“Captain.” He made sure to sound curt and not like he was ogling the way Roger’s arms bent at his sides, flexing his muscles to fit his hands into his pockets. He squinted, sat up a little straighter in his seat, and took a short sip from the drink in his hand. “This really doesn’t seem like your scene.”

“It’s not.” The answer sounded flat, but honest at least. So Tony leaned an elbow on the bar and studied the soldier for a moment, who leveled him back with a wary gaze. 

“So.. What, are you following me?” He took a guess, but a good one possibly, seeing the Captain stand straighter against the bar. “You are following me.” The broader man let out a visible sigh and shook his head before speaking, trained and even.

“Mrs Potts actually asked me to look for you. Jarvis gave up where you were.” He paused, then further explained. “Because she asked.”

Of course. Of course someone would go looking for him when -Pepper- asked. He lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head - maybe he was too drunk if he felt like he got his hopes up that Steve Rogers would look for him on his own volition. “Traitor.” He muttered under his breath, as if his A.I. could hear him from where he was. Likely, though. His phone was in his pocket.

Tony forgot about the Super Senses part of Super Soldier, and definitely forgot that Steve Rogers could hear him. His blonde eyebrows raised and his voice was rough and hard. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing.” Tony snapped, hand out in a shrug before trying to change the subject. “So now what? Are you here to drag me out? Lift me over your shoulder and muscle me out of here?” God, wouldn’t that be the day. “I don’t know if it’s that type of night.” Steve Rogers raised an eyebrow again at him, eyes widening at the suggestion in some form of alarm. Tony watched as the Captain looked away from him, craning his neck to look at the door (While he was at it, Tony stared at the gap his shirt left over the blonde’s shoulders when he looked away). When he looked back towards Tony, he seemed hesitant about something, and Tony couldn’t tell what.

“She didn’t say.” He admitted and Tony tilted his head, surprised.

“She didn’t say? Anything?” He blurted, setting down his glass a little louder than he intended. Before Captain Rogers could speak again, he turned to face the bar again. “Alright so when she call, we’ll go.” It slipped out, honestly. Because he didn’t know what the soldier’s or Pepper’s intentions were. Before he caught up with himself, he heard Rogers’ speak as he turned to face Tony at the bar.

“..’We’ll go’?” He echoed slowly, making the whole scene playback for Tony. Oh. He took a measured sip from his drink and flagged the bartender down for a refill while Steve Rogers waited for Tony Stark to come up with a damn cover to his flub. 

“She sent you as my chaperone, obviously.” It sounded true enough that as soon as he said it, Tony himself believed it. Maybe it was an elaborate set up after their break up, get him distracted with someone else that caught Tony’s eye so he didn’t drown himself in self destruction. 

Damnit Pepper. 

But that also meant she was (in Tony Stark’s drunken imagination that he might accuse her of later before remembering it was a lie he came up with by himself) totally okay with him pursuing something with the Captain. Not something he was expecting. At all. Even out of his own mind. 

“Rhodey’s - you know? - out of town. He’s my usual. Or Happy.” Tony had to look away from the other as he narrowed those blue eyes of his at him, suspicious or offended. Either way Tony didn’t want to look anymore. 

Maybe it was just him, but the air felt really awkward and tense. When Tony started reaching for his refill, the stool next to him moved and he snapped his attention to Steve Rogers lowering himself into the chair next to him. He pulled his hands out of his pockets, hand on his wallet already as leaned on the counter when the bartender stopped by them. “I’ll get a Sam Adams. Sixteen ounce please. And two waters.” He put a bill on the counter already and waved for the flustered bartender to keep the change.

For another few moments, Tony stared at the Captain, who just patiently waited for his beer without looking in the genius’ direction. He watched the pleasant exchange between them as his beer and waters came. He stammered, eyebrows raising at the blonde. “And here I thought you couldn’t take the whole Star-Spangled Patriot any farther.” When he spoke, Rogers’ looked at him from the corner of his eye as he sipped his beer and casually pushed one of the waters in Tony’s direction.

He stared at it.

“It’s a good beer.” He raised a hand in a gesture to the water. “You should probably drink some of that, too.” He said, like he cared. Which, suddenly, Tony was conflicted about. First off, why? Well, why not? They were Superhero teammates now, maybe not friends, though. They were Avengers and they did one major event of Avenging so far (the nightmares that Tony had about the portal into space were still incredibly real feeling, but fewer nowadays) and some ‘smaller’ SHIELD missions together. But Tony didn’t go on too many of those. 

Okay, so maybe they were work friends. Hero friends? Whatever. 

Tony sat up straighter, trying to blatantly ignore the way the blonde beside him was watching him from the corner of his eye because it made him feel warmer inside than the liquor down his throat did. He made a show of taking a few sips from the water and tried to contain how flustered he felt when the Captain gave him an amused half smile and a huff like he laughed before sipping his beer again.

“So why are you here alone?” He nearly choked on the mouthful of water he was swallowing when the other asked that question. How could he answer that now, to Captain Rogers of all people? ‘Just looking for someone meaningless to me to forget my problems and heartache, no big deal’. But it wasn’t like Steve Rogers’ knew him as a classy person anyway. 

“Oh you know..” He ignored the way Rogers’ looked at him when his voice cracked, clearing his throat. “Looking to get into some trouble. With some trouble.” Boy that was smooth. He casually sipped another large mouthful of his whiskey when the Captain spoke up again. 

“And that’s why you think Pepper sent me?” He paused and Tony looked over at him, frowning. “To keep you out of trouble.” 

“Obviously.” Steve Rogers looked at him, studied Tony as he reached for the water the Captain ordered for him, sniffing and wrinkling his nose like it itched. The billionaire pointedly avoided looking directly at the soldier for several seconds, not wanting to see the judgement happening in hi blue eyes. So he missed the twitch of his mouth and the way he ducked and looked at his beer before Tony heard, “Okay.” Tony sat up and raised his eyebrows at him.

“Okay? Okay what?” Beside him, Steve lifted his shoulders in a small shrug and sipped his beer, taking his time on elaborating what he meant and -God- was it driving Tony a little bit crazy.

“I’ll keep you out of trouble.” He said it simply enough, smooth and casual, but the heat prickled up on Tony’s neck and up his face anyway. His mouth fell open.

“Right.” He stammered and reached for his liquor again at the same time that Steve lifted his beer and took a sip. He braced his hand against the bar counter to prevent himself from checking his heart rate while it was beating a mile a minute. Tony didn’t see the way Steve peered at him from the corner of his eye. “Guess you’re my date tonight.” It was said with sarcasm, but God he wished that were true.

There was movement beside him and he glanced over, looking over his glass of liquor at the Captain; his head was bent down and he was staring at the beer between his hand. There was something intense in his face that Tony saw, but didn’t know what it meant aside from the obvious answer of -That was Bad to say-. Shit. His hands moved, tapping nervously on his glass before he took another drink from his glass. Then another until he finished it and blindly reached for the water. 

“I guess so.” The amount of times Steve Rogers made it impossible for Tony to breath that night should have killed him. He inhaled water and coughed into his elbow, drawing some attention from all sides. He couldn’t have heard that right. Maybe he meant something else? When Tony could breathe again, he whirled around to look at the man beside him again and their eyes met. 

If Tony knew any better, he’d say the Captain looked shy, or nervous when Tony looked at him; it was like Rogers’ was afraid of what he said, like he’d been wrong to say it. 

And then Tony was turning as red as the tie around his neck. “Excuse me, did I hear you right, Captain Rogers?” He tried to sound like he wasn’t freaking out, which he definitely was. He couldn’t deny that after nearly spitting his drink over the bar. But even from the dimmer light in the room, he could see the soldier twisting the glass in his hands and the nervous flexing of his jaw. Was he blushing?

“I… Yes.” He said it light, like it could have been a question; but very much a confession. Tony rubbed his hand over his face and took a deep breath - step one to dropping his heart rate. He reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a few bills, acutely aware of Steve Rogers studying him now. Well, this couldn’t have been one of Tony Stark’s drunken fantasies, mostly because the both of them looked like they were going to throw up their nerves all over the other. After tucking the bills under his empty liquor glass, he glanced back towards the soldier and cleared his throat.

“So what does that mean?” Tony started to slide out of his seat, willing himself not to fall over. He couldn’t blame it on the liquor - everyone else would, maybe even Steve; but the way his heart pounded in his chest and his lungs refused to disperse oxygen into his brain would have knocked him over without alcohol’s help. Slowly, the soldier followed suit to stand beside him. His mouth opened, then closed, like he changed his mind about something. Tony watched him from the corner of his eye and squinted when he looked away, having the audacity to look bashful. 

Steve Rogers was the complete epitome of physical human perfection, and it just wasn’t fair that he could look that adorable beside him, too. Pick one, damnit.

“It means.. Pepper didn’t exactly send me.” Tony led the way from the bar counter; he tried to remain casual and poised when the bartender called after him, if he needed change. He just lifted his hand dismissively and stuck a thumb out as he walked away; Steve glanced back over his shoulder, too, before following. He looked towards the blonde next to him and nearly tripped over his own feet as they walked towards the door.

“What?”

“She wanted to know where you were and I volunteered to find you.” They made it to the street and Tony felt his heart skip a beat. Steve Rogers volunteered to find Tony Stark then do… What?

“And you volunteered to be my chaperone on your own free will?” 

“Date.” He heard Steve correct him; when Tony looked out of the corner of his eye at him. He said it with confidence and sureness, but his head ducked down with something shy and Tony almost looked away. Again, not fair. “I want to get to know you better, Tony.” Something in Tony’s chest twitched and fluttered when the soldier said his name.

“You can get to know me real well tonight, if you want.” Steve immediately went bright red and looked over to meet Tony’s eyes as he stared at the soldier, gauging his initial reaction. The Captain looked overly flustered at the proposition, at least, but not.. Offended or outright against the idea; Tony nearly stopped in his tracks to call him out. “I really didn’t expect that, Cap’n.” Steve opened his mouth, taking a (assuming) calming breath before speaking with a nervous laugh.

“Expect what?” So that was what it felt like to be on the opposite end of an interrogation after saying something vague. 

“All of this.” He gestured; they were walking leisurely down the street side by side talking about dates. No one bothered them as they passed; whether anyone noticed it was Tony Stark, the Iron Man, and Steve Rogers, Captain America, walking down the road or they just didn’t care, he didn’t mind. He actually preferred that. “You are willingly my date for the evening and you don’t look exactly put off by any other ideas.” When he pointed that out, Steve rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m a little shocked, too.” The soldier admitted, “I’ve only really done this..” He gestured, the same as Tony did, before his hands went back into his pockets as they walked, “with one person.”

Ah, right. Peggy Carter. Famously his father’s best friend and Captain America’s long love. Tony looked ahead of them. There was something to live up to now that she was brought to his attention again, a reminder. Which only begged the question Why Tony? 

They let the conversation pitter and die, as awkward as both of them felt. Minutes of silence passed between them as Tony tried to solve the puzzle by himself; he didn’t miss most of Steve Rogers’ stolen glances at him while they walked down the road. It didn’t occur to Tony that neither of them had a real plan on where they were heading. At least until Steve stopped and spoke up.

“What’s this?” He stopped and turned around when he realized the soldier wasn’t beside him anymore, and instead standing at the entrance of a bar front with neon signs all over the windows. Each colored light was a different letter and they flashed ‘K A R A O KE”. Squinting, the billionaire crossed the sidewalk towards him and leaned back a bit, questioning.

“Really?” Steve looked at him, eyebrows raised. “You pay to go into a room and sing your heart out with a few drinks.” Steve looked between Tony and the door a few times before asking.

“Do you want to try it?” Tony’s heart did a little flip to his stomach, then flew back up to his throat. If Tony didn’t believe Steve Rogers before (he didn’t, actually; he was still thinking maybe the whole night was an illusion or a dream), he almost did then. And he couldn’t stop himself from answering like he was in a trace.

“Okay.” He nodded. He nodded a lot, if he had sunglasses on they might have fallen off. Tony walked towards the door before Steve could and reached for it and held it open. “American Sweethearts first.” The other man gave him a look, half confused and half amused, before ducking in. Then Tony followed.

The bar itself was dimly lit and it wasn’t nearly as loud as Tony initially thought it’d be. Most of the music was trapped in separate rooms behind soundproof glass doors, groups of drunk people singing their hearts out and laughing. There were a few handfuls of people standing and talking at the bar counters, some playing arcade games tucked in the corner of the bar. The two of them wandered towards the bartender loading the little dishwasher behind the bar before they looked up with a small smile.

Steve was the first one to approach, leaning towards the counter to ask “Hi.. How much for an hour in one of those rooms?” Tony glanced between Steve’s back and an open room when the bartender answered. 

“Twenty dollars.” He looked back over to see Steve fishing out a bill from his wallet, then the bartender handed him a door hanger and pointed at one of the open rooms. Steve turned and gestured towards Tony, sweeping his arm in a short gesture in the direction of the door. 

Before the door closed, he thought he heard someone say, “Hey was that Tony Stark?” 

The room was small - two plain couches against the walls, a flat screen television on the far wall, and a short table in the middle. Getting the rest of the Avengers in there would have been an actual nightmare. Good thing it was only Steve and Tony. 

Good thing.

The door was shut and then it was just the two of them in silence for a few moments. They both stood on opposite sides of the table and the screensaver flickered on the television. Tony took a couple of deep breaths through his nose and tried to will his nerves down. He couldn’t remember when he’d been more nervous being alone with another human. At least the soldier seemed just as nervous..

Slowly, Steve sat down on one of the couches and pulled over one of the books with all the songs in it. He was silent as he flipped through some of the pages before laughing to himself. Tony frowned before Steve looked up, shy again, and said.

“I don’t know any of these songs.” He was still laughing as he flipped through a couple of more pages. Tony choked out a laugh and leaned to look at the book, too.

“What?” After a second, he moved to the other side of the table so he wasn’t reading upside down. “You’ve been unfrozen for how long and you don’t know any of these?” He waved a hand over the text in the book before flipping another open to a different page. Steve shook his head beside him and Tony sighed, dramatically. He sat beside the soldier now, their shoulders barely a few inches apart and his nerves sparked and tingled his skin. He tried not to pay too much attention to that, though.

“Alright Cap, we’re going to get you caught up with some of the most classic tunes of all time, and you’re going to now how to sing each and every one of them.” He paused, when Steve looked at him with wide eyes. “Okay, the ones we can get to in an hour. Do you know this one?” When he pointed at a song, Steve leaned a little to squint at it while Tony fiddled with the remote to key it up on the screen. 

The first strings of a guitar through the speakers, Tony stared at Steve as he blindly grabbed grabbed for the microphones and made sure they were both on before passing him one. Steve fumbled it between his hands, then straightened it towards his face and looked back up at Tony again when gestured between him and the T.V. 

“Look alive, Cap. --  
_Big wheels keep on turning_  
Carry me home to see my kin  
Singing songs about the south-land  
I miss 'ole' 'bamy once again and I think it's a sin”

Now Tony -- he knows the words. Most of them. The ones he doesn’t, he mumbled and read the flashing lyrics on the screen. Steve on the other hand, didn’t know any of the words so far, and his mouth opened and closed as he stared at Tony next to him, wide eyed. Tony had to hand it to him, he made an effort at least. Steve’s voice echoed as he hummed the basic syllables of the words, taking Tony’s lead until the other pointed at the screen.

“ _Sweet home Alabama_  
Where the skies are so blue  
Sweet home Alabama  
Lord, I'm coming home to you”

Tony definitely heard Steve mumble ‘Alabama’ a couple of times when the chorus hit; then he leaned over towards Tony when the guitar strummed again. 

“I know this song!”

“Oh you do? How come not a minute ago - the title is in the song Rogers!” He was laughing and so was Steve beside him.

“Maybe I just needed to hear the melody?” Shrugging, Steve glanced up at him from under his eyelashes and Tony openly stared at him until the other man looked away to stare at the screen again. He exhaled, then followed suit and looked back at the screen to finish the rest of the song.

Steve started reading ahead, only delaying a half second with the lyrics; he kept looking behind him at Tony as the billionaire ducked his head to pick another song, and another after that, setting up a queue of the Greatest Hits from the last fifty years. Some of them Steve did know from radio or shows or movies he’d seen; most of them he hadn’t. 

Tony still couldn’t actually believe he’d never heard Bohemian Rhapsody when it came on.

“What!? Rogers’ your not serious?” He pestered him over Freddie Mercury’s soft ‘ _Mama.. Oo Oo-ooooo_ ’ and the blonde just shrugged again as Tony swayed and sang without the microphone, cooing them at the Captain instead as he turned redder with every hum.

“I haven’t heard this, I’m sorry!” He was laughing and trying to look at the lyrics, studying them until he could catch up on the lyrics as Tony sang them into the microphone again. He tripped over words quickly a minute later. 

“ _Let him go!_  
Bismillah  
We will not let you go-  
Let him go!  
Bismillah  
We will not let you go-”

“Don’t worry Rogers,” Tony leaned over, ducking to his ear so he wasn’t yelling at the other man anymore. “Next time we’ll work on that. Maybe start at every other line before trying all of them.” Then Steve whirled around and Tony realized just how close they were. Their noses brushed up against each other while the guitar pulled into the last part of the song. Tony held his breath.

“Next time?” The words were barely audible, but he felt them against his lips as Steve spoke. He was too close, but Tony couldn’t pull himself away. 

“Yeah.” He started, voice barely making it out of his throat. He didn’t even notice when the song ended, and soft jazz began. “You know, if -- uh -- when we. Do this again?” He swallowed and shifted, to make himself pull back slightly but he got distracted when Steve did first, turning so he could hear the new song playing.

“..I know this one.” His eyebrows pinched together, confused as he tried to place it. Then Tony actually listened and his face tingled with pink again.

“ _You took the part that once was my heart  
Why not take all of me._ ”

“Oh yeah.” Tony inhaled and swallowed thick. “This was one of the only songs from your era, so..” Steve turned back towards him and Tony didn’t move.

“ _All of me, now please take all of me  
Can't you see, I'm no good without you._ ”

He saw Steve glance down as he shifted on the couch next to him. He licked his lips and Tony felt electricity down his spine. He breathed.

“Rogers.”

“ _How can I, go on dear without you  
You took that part, what once was my heart_.”

“Tony..?” It was slow, Tony felt a large hand gently take his wrist and rest on the back of his hand. “Can I?”

“ _Baby please take all of me_.”  
“ --Please.”

Tony almost laughed - the timing couldn’t have been any better. The soft jazz was behind Steve and his lips were warm when they covered Tony’s. He had moved in cautious, nervous, and Tony reached forward to wrap his fingers around the back of Steve’s neck to pull him closer. The gentle grip on his hand tightened and his thumb caressed the pulsepoint on Tony’s arm. His heart raced and chest was alight with butterflies he thought he’d been over. 

If Tony Stark was asked at the beginning of his evening what he was going to be doing at the end, he wouldn’t have had a clear answer. Maybe he would have said he was going to wind up drunk and passed out in his lab - or in someone else’s bed. His answer wouldn’t have been even close to the reality. Ending up in Steve Rogers’ arms in a karaoke room wasn’t even in a dream. But as they pulled away and he caught his breath, Tony’s eyes fluttered back open to see those gorgeous blue eyes and that bashful smile he never thought before that night he’d be at the receiving end of.

Honestly, it was on his list of better nights.

“So.. When’s next time?” Tony grinned.

And he wouldn’t have asked for anything different.


End file.
